Keeping Innovation Flowing

with

If you’ve owned a car, you know the logo. The red and blue wings in the shape of a “V.” The Original Motor Oil. 

Valvoline Global Operations is a worldwide leader in automotive and industrial solutions, creating future-ready products and best-in-class services for partners around the globe.

“At Valvoline Global, innovation is at the core of everything we do. For nearly 160 years, we have led the industry in developing advanced solutions that drive performance and efficiency.”

— Roger England, Valvoline Global Chief Technical Officer

So how does the 160-year-old innovation leader keep new ideas flowing?

The Plan

  • Step 1: Valvoline Global becomes OneUK partner. 

  • Step 2. Through the partnership, Valvoline connects with Launch Blue to conduct a pilot of an Industry Transformation Accelerator.

  • Step 3. Select tech challenge areas, recruit startups—and put on a great program.

With Valvoline Global’s headquarters in Lexington, Kentucky, its partnership with the bluegrass state's flagship university just a few miles away made sense.

In 2024, Valvoline Global became a partner in the University of Kentucky's OneUK program, a strategic collaboration designed to foster long-term, holistic partnerships that drive innovation, talent development and economic growth in the Commonwealth.

And with the company's focus on innovation, engaging Launch Blue—the university's accelerator that is nationally known for founder-focused programs—seemed like a perfect partnership. The idea for the Industry Transformation Accelerator was born.

“Collaborating with Valvoline Global through the Industry Transformation Accelerator exemplifies the type of translational innovation opportunities we aspire to develop with and for our OneUK partners.”

— Landon Borders, Senior Executive Director of Technology Development and R&D Partnerships and Core OneUK Team Member

The Challenge Areas

  • Innovative Thermal Management and Fluid Technologies

    Existing solutions often face limitations related to energy loss, system efficiency and environmental impact—highlighting a clear gap for new, high-performance liquid cooling and thermal transfer technology.

  • Advanced Sensor & AI Technologies for Real-Time Fluid & System Optimization

    Current sensor technologies and AI-driven modeling approaches often lack the accuracy, durability and computational efficiency required for complex, high-stakes liquid cooling applications.

  • Sustainable Materials and Packaging Solutions for High-Performance Industrial Applications

    Current options often rely on non-biodegradable materials that contribute to pollution, and the fluid-contact factor complicates recyclability. There is a growing need for sustainable alternatives that align with global environmental goals.

"Engaging with early-stage startups through the Industry Transformation Accelerator allows us to share our expertise while supporting the next wave of industry change makers."

— Roger England, Valvoline Global Chief Technical Officer

"We were confident in our ability to run a good program. By partnering with an established corporate neighbor like Valvoline, we can bring in the best of the best to initiate new solutions in our state.”

— Erin Shea, Senior Program Manager, Launch Blue

The Startups

  • AutoMetrics

    AutoMetrics’ X-Sigma platform monitors production quality indicators to help manufacturers proactively identify and address defect-prone variations in real-time.

  • H2OK Innovations

    H2OK Innovations has built an IoT platform with spectral sensors to optimize fluid systems in manufacturing.

  • HeXalayer

    HeXalayer is an advanced material research and manufacturing startup, focused in scaling the production of its patent-pending graphene material.

  • Samiteon AI

    Samiteon AI leverages advanced AI technologies to deliver real-time fluid and system optimization solutions.

“Startups have extraordinary value to offer a large corporation, yet cutting through bureaucracy and finding a champion often becomes the biggest barrier. This program solves that problem by allocating valuable time from a potential large customer's team and stakeholders, giving startups the exposure and feedback they need."

— Harut Vardanyan, CEO & Co-Founder, HeXalayer

“In addition to the meaningful connections, Launch Blue's approach was helpful in cutting through noise and learning firsthand what matters to Valvoline, and for us specifically, insights into the broader engine oil manufacturing industry.”

— Mike Mohensi, CEO & Founder, AutoMetrics

The Program

For Corporate Partners

Corporate partners engaged with startup founders in cohort meetings, learning about innovative technology in a low-pressure environment. Partners also gained insights from founders who piloted solutions with other corporations, allowing them to find new ways to expand their collaborations with startups.

For Startups

Founders explored the challenge areas with corporate partners' technical experts, discovering how large organizations adopt new solutions and exploring potential use cases of their technology. Founders also met with stakeholders across the organization to learn how to serve corporate customers.

“Having seasoned corporate innovation leaders willing to be hands-on with founders through our program gives startups a competitive edge to make real change."

— Laura Halligan, Executive Director, Launch Blue

"A lot of programs focus solely on making introductions between startups and corporate partners without helping both to understand the best practices of working with each other. While these groups benefit from coming together, they are so culturally different that success only happens when both sides make an effort to understand the other. Launch Blue provides that translation layer to help each side to connect in the optimal way."

— Jake Miller, Program Advisor, Launch Blue

The Results

“I'm excited about the ripple effects. If even one of these collaborations goes well, it proves the model works. That opens the door for more companies, more founders, and more breakthrough products and solutions in the future. That's not just exciting for Valvoline Global. It holds promise for other OneUK partners and the broader regional innovation ecosystem.”

— George Zhang, Valvoline Global Vice President, Technology

The Industry Transformation Accelerator culminated in a final pitch to Valvoline Global’s innovation leaders focusing on the startups' use case for the company.

Immediately after the final pitch, Valvoline Global continued discussions with select startups to further explore their value proposition in these challenge areas.

“What attracted us to this opportunity was the alignment between the program's intent and Valvoline Global's transformation journey. Through 150-plus years of history, we know that the challenges we face in energy, mobility and prosperity aren't going to be solved by legacy thinking. We need new ideas and to explore new approaches to generate new solutions.”

— George Zhang, Valvoline Global Vice President, Technology

“Working with Launch Blue reminded us that our legacy of innovation is as much about adaptability and mentorship as it is about the technology itself.”

— Michael Morrison, Valvoline Global Director of New Ventures

Join Us

With a proven model, Launch Blue is looking to engage with change makers in future Industry Transformation Accelerators.

Think you could be next? Reach out to UK Innovate’s R&D Partnerships Team.